We had the pleasure of chatting with JLC Comics all about their amazing work! Perhaps this interview will inspire you to continue to create your projects! JLC Comics certainly has a great story!
1.What initially inspired you to become a creator, and how has that inspiration evolved throughout your creative journey?
When I was a kid, I was obsessed with drawing and watching cartoons, as well as reading comic books. Some of my personal favorites include Transformers, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Max Fleischer cartoons, and Looney Tunes, to name a few. These cartoons, as well as the Peanuts comic strips, lit a spark and inspired me to create my own cartoons. I’m still watching cartoons to this day, and I am not ashamed to admit that. A project I’m working on is 2D animated action-comedy/parody film entitled “Strange Journey”, which will be my first feature film as a writer and a director. And not only that, I’m doing the entire project by myself with limited resources, which can be quite a challenge. This film pokes fun at classic, modern, and indie animated films and TV shows, as well as various cartoon characters. Loosely parodying “The Fearless Four”, the plot follows the escapades of nine individuals who soon come across tons of colorful villains and dire situations in an attempt to stop the evil organization SCOUNDREL from global domination. The film’s humor is in a similar vein to Looney Tunes and The Three Stooges. Unlike modern parody films where those rely on sexual and racist overtones and toilet humor similar to the humor utilized in the Scary Movie franchise, the film’s humor leans more towards slapstick comedy, over-the-top action sequences, running gags, and breaking the fourth wall.
Interestingly enough, the first draft was completed around December 2019 when I was in my final years of high school. Originally titled Boil, the 114-page script was written as a very loose parody of Who Framed Roger Rabbit, incorporating characters from various animated films and television shows. After finishing several drafts, I completed the final script, containing 78 pages, replacing the copyrighted IPs with characters that were made from scratch. Storyboards for the project have since been completed around the end of 2021 with a total of 127 pages. 21 test animations have been finished and have been released on my YouTube channel, along with both a few clean-up tests as well as a visual breakdown of one of them. In addition, I’ve gotten 60 backgrounds (yes, you read that right, 60) done by myself, all drawn by hand. A re-edited animatic of the overall film was released on June 30th. As soon as we finish the backgrounds and animation tests, live-action filming/animation on “Strange Journey” will finally begin hopefully very soon.
2.Can you share a specific moment or experience that fueled your passion for your current creative project?
Strangely enough, the origins of the “Strange Journey” project go all the way back to the creation of one of the most beloved properties ever. No, it’s not “Looney Tunes” nor is it “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” or “Transformers”, but the very property that inspired me to become an artist: the “Peanuts” comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Before I go any further, lemme make something clear: I am a huge fan of “Peanuts”. I really am. I read every strip I can get my hands on, I would read the newspaper where they had the comics section, and whenever there’s a “Peanuts” special airing on TV, I would stop what I’m doing and glue my eyes to the tube. I love the characters, especially Charlie Brown, who to me is very relatable. Except Lucy. Screw her. And how can I talk about “Peanuts” without my boy Snoopy? He is easily my favorite of the bunch. The World War I Flying Ace, Joe Cool, the Mad Punter, the mountain lion, the loyal companion of the lovable Charlie. I couldn’t tell you how many times I used to draw that stupid beagle as a kid. He must’ve been implanted in my brain, almost as if he’s hypnotizing me to do his bidding.
Also, quick side note: When me and my friend heard that there’s gonna be a “Peanuts” movie, I immediately begged my parents to take me because, again, I’m a big fan. I got around to seeing it, and I adored it! OK, side note over.
These characters as well as the strip itself served as a major influence on the art style I adopted for my own cartoons. I feel like creating my own world and characters was necessary. And thus, in 2009, Jacob and William were born. Yes, guys, long before I created Holly Husky, there were these two. You can pretty much consider them to be the fathers of “Strange Journey”, and these were the very first characters I created. All thanks to Mr. Schulz and his creations. This was the only surviving drawing I have in my possession, and before my mother says anything, I ain’t throwing this away. Never. Yes, I know that this is very crudely drawn, but I still look back at this drawing with fond memories, thinking to myself, “I came this far, haven’t I?” The Jacob and William characters, which were named after me and my brother, were the seeds for the creation of the soon-to-be “Strange Journey” project. I’ve drawn numerous strips starring the two and my classmates loved them. Again, they were crude, but we were dumb kids. We didn’t care. These were fun to make. But for some reason, as I got older, I just stopped making them. Why? To be honest, I have no idea. I still draw from time to time, but I just never got around to going back to those “Peanuts”-inspired comic strips. High school came around, and I pretty much forgot about them. I still draw from time to time, but not as often back when I was young.
3.What challenges have you encountered as an indie creator, and how have they shaped your approach to your work?
Animating an entire feature film. THAT’S the big challenge for me. It’s a lot of work for one guy. Sure, it’s taking me quite a while to get the test animations finished, but it’s so much fun to make them.
4.Are there any particular creators who have significantly influenced your style or approach? How do you incorporate those influences into your own unique voice?
Definitely Charles Schulz, creator of “Peanuts”. His art style was probably the biggest influence on my own style of art as well as my own comic strips. On the filmmaking front, my influences are Steven Spielberg, Jim Henson, Joe Dante, Max Fleischer, Walt Disney (duh!), and many others.
5. How do you navigate the balance between staying true to your artistic vision and adapting to feedback from your audience or collaborators?
Simply by listening to criticism. I believe that criticism is the most important when it comes to improving my work and making it better for the audience I’m aiming for.
6.Can you recall a memorable success story or milestone in your indie creator journey that stands out as a turning point for you?
In the year of 2017, I was about to graduate from high school. It was during this time that one of my greatest achievements would come to fruition. It all started back when me and a friend of mine were attending the Monmouth County Career Center. I was one of the students in the Supermarket Careers class. Whenever we had some free time, I would draw as usual or talk to some of my classmates.
One day, out of nowhere, an outlandish idea began to float inside my noggin: A stray cat joining the military. For some reason, that amused me a little bit. That idea was once originally one of my movie ideas under the title of Military Kitten. Later, I envisioned it as a comic book and started to draw a few pages where the main protagonist Rita (a character from one of my personal favorite shows Animaniacs) discovers the famous Uncle Sam poster and gets washed up on an Army base thanks to a violent thunderstorm. I couldn’t think of what happened next after she wound up on the base, so I pretty much just left it on the back-burner.
A few months have past, and fate would come crawling back to me once again. I remember reading a copy of the Marvel Chronicle, and I learned from one of the chapters that both Marvel and DC Comics once merged their iconic IPs into original characters, creating characters such as Man-Bat, the Dark Claw, and Super-Soldier. This immediately inspired me to do the same thing. Then I came back to the unfinished military cat comic and realized what I needed to do: Take the few pages that I drew and turn it into a superhero comic, with Rita acting as Captain America.
And thus, the PatriotiCat character was born.
The first issue was finally completed in April of 2018 while I was volunteering at a Modell’s that used to be in Holmdel. The comic has since spawned five issues, lasting from late 2018 to November of 2019, creating an origin story on how Rita Ryan/PatriotiCat came to be. Not only that, but it also introduced new characters, including Rita’s owner, scientist David Ryan, and a G.I. Joe-esque military squadron known as the Stars of Allegiance, led by Cooler along with Nose Marie, Bright Eyes, and Whopper.
And we can’t have a superhero comic without a baddie, so I created Howler aka the Menacing Mutt. From what I can remember, many of my classmates, teachers, and faculty members loved these issues and even made the front page of our school newspaper.
7.What role do setbacks or failures play in your creative process, and how do you overcome them to keep moving forward?
This is a bit of a tough one to discuss. There have been times when I’ve been making everyone uncomfortable and when I’ve made one bad decision after another. Sometimes I do tend on just give up and walk away, and at other times, I wonder if I’m an awful director. But thankfully, a few of my friends have encouraged me to keep moving forward with the projects I work on, and I couldn’t be any more grateful for them than I already am. Word of advice: Giving up will get you nowhere in life. Keep going forward.
8. How do you manage your time and energy to sustain a consistent creative output while juggling other aspects of life?
I do work at a supermarket, so I do tend to get pooped when I get back from my shifts, but I do try my best to continue working either on a different project or drawing a new panel of a comic book. There have also been days where I don’t draw at all.
9.Have you found any unexpected joys or rewards in the indie creator community, and how has it contributed to your overall experience?
Basically the love and support we’ve got from the “Strange Journey” project, like my friends and family, StrawViz, creator of Killer Kiss, the Indie Animation Network, Tween Animations, the creator of Nothing Unusual, and the good folks of DYAD. Not to mention, the wonderful voice actors and actresses I’ve recruited for the film. I know I sound sappy for saying this, but I’m eternally grateful for every single one of them. I really am.
10.If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring creators, what would it be based on your own lessons learned?
Be sure to try your best with the projects you’re working on. Take breaks, give updates, always listen to your critics, and please be kind to yourself and to the people you work with. Don’t let everything else bring you down. Strive to be better and improve at what you do. And above all else, just have some fun.
11. What are your thoughts on All Ages of Geek? What are some things we should change/do? What are something you enjoy about our website?
I’ll be honest, I haven’t looked at the site too much, but from what I’ve seen, it’s really cool!
12. Goals for 2024?
I’m currently taking a bit of a break from “Strange Journey”, but I do want to release a proof-of-concept trailer for the project somewhere down the line. I’m also planning another re-edit of the animatic, which will include more voice recordings, more backgrounds, and test animations. It will probably have a 2025 release window, so keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, I‘ve come back to the PatriotiCat comic book series with a brand new issue, with the sixth issue being the first to be in full color. In addition, I’m planning out new film projects such as “Cinderabbit”, a live-action/animated outing that is a spoof on various adaptations of the Cinderella fairy tale, “Run Minnie Run”, an action-thriller based off the Disney cartoon “Steamboat Willie”, and “Cocoa & Gunpowder”, a short film animatic about two supermarket employees who find themselves in hot water as they help the queen of England, who is on the run from authority figures after being falsely accused of selling cocaine chocolate bars to a Mafia drug lord. The short film will also act as a “pitch animatic” for a potential feature film version later on.
SUPPORT THE CREATOR
—
